1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a continuous roe separating apparatus for separating a number of roe particles enveloped in an ovary membrane from this membrane.
In this specification, the roe particles enveloped in the ovary membrane are typically salmon roes, in which a number of eggs of, e.g., salmon and trout, are enveloped in the ovary membrane. However, it is to be noted that a number of any roe particles enveloped in the ovary membrane are within the scope of the present invention.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the separation/removal of a number of roe particles (salmon roes) from roes of, e.g., a salmon has generally been carried out by placing, on a flat net, salmon roes whose ovary membrane is partially opened, and then crumpling the roes with hands by a worker.
Such a hand-crumpling work by the worker himself requires a high skill. Therefore, because of the limited number of workers for this hand-crumpling work, a fatigue level of the full-time worker is considerable. In addition, the worker wears cotton work gloves to prevent slippage, but such roes are very oily, and the oil entering through spaces or the like of the cotton work gloves causes the hands to become rough. This problem has been the most serious worry for the worker.
Such a hand work, moreover, has not been compliant with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) for hygiene management.
Furthermore, if rubber gloves are used in place of the cotton work gloves, the oil may be prevented from directly touching worker""s hands. However, the manual operation is still employed, which is undesirable from the viewpoint of the sanitation. In addition, there is recently a problem that environmental hormones have been detected from the gloves made of vinyl chloride resins. Thus, such a separation work by hand has not been desirable for HACCP on the food hygiene.
Accordingly, in order to solve the problems of the roe separating work by such a manual operation, the following continuous roe separating apparatus has been provided.
That is to say, this continuous roe separating apparatus comprises a net on which roes with an ovary membrane are put and which is adapted to be moved back and forth in a horizontal direction, a pressing device for pressing the roes with the ovary membrane from the upper surface of the net, and a roe particles scraper portion located below the net so as to be moved in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the net.
The above conventional apparatus is constructed in such a manner that the roes with the ovary membrane are first placed on the net formed into a roughly rectangular shape when seen from the plane, and then the pressing device is lowered from the above to press the roes are pressed against the net with a desired pressure. Afterward, when the net is moved back and forth by a driving source, the roes with the ovary membrane pressed from the above to the net by the pressing device are massaged, so that the roe particles drop from the meshes of the net. The lined roe particles are drooped from the meshes, and the scraper portion which is moved in the direction opposite to the net cuts the line under the net to drop the roe particles.
However, in the above structure and operation, the following points have remained to be improved.
(1) The separation work of the next roes with an ovary membrane cannot be started before the completion of the separation work of the roes with the ovary membrane set by one work. Consequently, the loss of working hours is great, making it impossible to achieve mass production.
(2) The pressing device must be moved up and down for operation for each work. Consequently, much time and labor are required, causing a loss of working hours.
(3) The work must be interrupted to raise the pressing device in order to confirm the clear separation and dropping of the roes from the ovary membrane. Consequently, useless labor is generated, and the work must be interrupted each time, causing a great loss of working hours.
The inventors conducted earnest and serious studies over and over and, as a result, succeeded in the development of an apparatus hereby specified, which is capable of performing continuous separation work of roe particles without troubling worker""s hands.
The invention was made to solve the foregoing problems inherent in the conventional art, and it is an object of the invention to provide a continuous roe separating apparatus capable of continuous work, suitable for mass production, and capable of easily and surely carrying out the work of separating roe particles without troubling worker""s hands. Other objects are to facilitate washing, and to save space while achieving the above object.
In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a continuous roe separating apparatus comprising at least a cylindrical rotary net in which a carrying surface on which roes with an ovary membrane having one opened surface are mounted is a peripheral surface formed in a meshed shape, and a cylindrical axial center is horizontally arranged so that the cylindrical rotary net may be rotated around the axial center; a squeezing roller which is placed facing to the peripheral surface in the same axial direction as the rotary net and which presses the roes carried in a rotational direction of the rotary net from the above between the roller and the peripheral surface to squeeze out roe particles from the ovary membrane and to drop or droop the roe particles through roe particles dropping holes of the peripheral surface into the rotary net; and a roe particles scraper portion for scraping and dropping the roe particles pressed by the squeezing roller and drooped through the drop holes into the rotary net.
A second aspect of the present invention is directed to a continuous roe separating apparatus in which the cylindrical rotary net is cylindrically constituted of a cylindrical peripheral surface wholly formed in a meshed shape, and left and right side faces disposed on both sides of the peripheral surface; each of the side faces is formed to have a diameter larger than the peripheral surface, and provided with a guiding piece projected in a diameter direction; and each guiding piece is adapted to be rotated by a driving source, and held to enable the transmission of rotational motion by rotation transmission rollers on at least front and back as well as left and right sides disposed on a lower side of the rotary net, whereby the rotary net is held rotatably and upward detachably on the rollers.
A third aspect of the present invention is directed to a continuous roe separating apparatus in which the squeezing roller comprises a group of rollers placed facing to the peripheral surface in the same axial direction as the peripheral surface of the rotary net and arranged side by side in a carrying direction; the respective rollers constituting the roller group are adapted to be rotated in a direction opposite to that of the rotary net; and a gap between the peripheral surface of each roller and the peripheral surface of the rotary net is gradually narrowed from an upstream side roller to a downstream side roller.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to a continuous roe separating apparatus in which the squeezing roller is adapted to be moved away from the upper side of the rotary net to the outside of a rotational range of the rotary net.